The invention relates to improvements in counters for storage and displaying of commodities (e.g., foodstuffs) in supermarkets, ice cream parlors, butcher shops, sandwich shops and many other establishments. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in counters which can be utilized with advantage as refrigerators for perishable commodities. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in counters of the type having one or more front panels at the customer or front side to normally prevent access to the confined and displayed commodities.
It is desirable and advantageous to mount the front panel or panels of a counter in such a way that each front panel can be moved between an operative or closing position (in which it closes and seals the counter at the customer side) and an inoperative or open position in which an authorized person can gain access to the interior of the counter, e.g., to replace spoiled commodities, to remove commodities for the purposes of storage in a freezer while the establishment is closed, to permit convenient cleaning of the interior of the counter and/or for other purposes. Furthermore, it is often more convenient to introduce commodities into the counter at the customer side. As a rule, or at least in many instances, the front panel or panels are mounted for pivotal movement between their operative and open positions. This is achieved by mounting the rear marginal portion of each panel on at least two supports of the case of the counter. Such supports are component parts of the upper portion of the case and normally extend upwardly and forwardly to pivotably support one or more front panels as well as to support a counter top which serves for deposition of commodities by the clerk and for deposition of monies by the customers. Reference may be had to commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,349 granted June 27, 1989 to Bruno Stenemann for "Display Counter".
Pivoting of the front panel or panels between operative and open positions is a tedious task, especially if a front panel includes a plurality of discrete panes of glass or other light-transmitting material. Therefore, many presently used front panels are of lightweight design and are relatively small in order to simplify the task of an attendant who must pivot the front panel to open position as well as to reduce the danger of damaging the front panel and/or other parts of the counter if a heavy front panel is free to descend by gravity toward its operative position. A lightweight front panel often comprises a single light-transmitting pane even though it is normally desirable to employ front panels with plural panes in order to save energy if the internal space of the counter is to be maintained well below room temperature or is to be isolated from the surrounding atmosphere for other reasons (e.g., to prevent entry of insects or contaminants). Moreover, moisture is less likely to deposit at the outer side of a front panel which comprises several light-transmitting panes.
Proposals to employ energy storing devices, such as gas springs, for the purpose of facilitating pivoting of a rather heavy and bulky front panel have met with limited success, mainly because it is still necessary to provide bolts and/or other locking or blocking devices in order to prevent accidental and abrupt pivoting of a front panel to its operative position. Moreover, the gas spring or springs must have an eye-pleasing appearance in order not to detract from the appearance of the counter or they must be fully concealed from view. Still further, a gas spring must be highly reliable and must be designed in such a way that it can be readily and safely manipulated by persons having little or no skill. Therefore, a counter which is equipped with gas springs normally still employs locking bolts and like devices which ensure that the front panel or panels can be maintained in selected position(s). The locking bolts detract from the appearance of the counter and cannot be readily manipulated by a person who is in the process of maintaining the front panel in a selected position other than the closed or operative position. Still further, gas springs are often ineffective if a front panel is very heavy and bulky so that, if permitted to undergo rapid acceleration, such bulky and heavy front panel is likely to injure an attendant or a customer or to suffer serious damage and cause damage to the adjacent parts of the counter. Pronounced inertia of a large and heavy front panel creates problems during acceleration as well as during braking. In addition, a heavy front panel is likely to damage the hinges at the upper ends of the supports, the gas springs and/or other parts of the counter. Repair work is expensive and takes up much time which is highly undesirable if the counter is used in a busy establishment which is visited by numerous customers and the contents of which must be replenished several times a day in order to satisfy the customer demand.
Manipulation of a front panel by more than one person is often impractical or not possible. Thus, two or more persons are not always available, e.g., after working hours when the contents of the counter must be removed to permit convenient and thorough cleaning of the space which serves for confinement of foodstuffs and/or other types of commodities.